Fans were calling for Hayward's head but Kyrie believed in Hayward and told him the team needs him to be more aggressive and start to take his shots because he is that good. Hayward did just that and has looked great.
His last 5 games:
15.8 PPG
5.8 RPG
4.6 RPG
1 SPG
51% FG%
45% 3PT%
100% FT%
26.1 MPG
And he still isn't 100% yet.
I believe Kyrie and Gordon have a strong relationship, as there were rumors Kyrie tried recruiting him to Cleveland his first time in (restricted) free agency, before LeVron returned.
And Kyrie mentioned having Smart in the starting lineup was nice because he relieved some of the ball handling duties, so he doesn’t have to bring it up every time. Which makes sense, as he played most of his career with LeBron, who handles so much of the offense (always had a higher usage than Kyrie). Kyrie exerts so much energy with his dribble that having players like Smart, Hayward; and even Horford are key to making sure we get a sustained effort from him throughout the game.
Those are great stats in just 26 mpg. Let’s hope he continues to improve.